RideLondon-Surrey 100 (2015) Anyone?

[vickster]

I was told when I did the volunteer training last year the max speed at least on flats would be 25mph, presumably not that strictly enforced. Or the've ditched the pace car idea

 

[Tomtrumps]

Sorry to hear about the injuries and the poor chap who passed away.

My reflections. This was my first sportive and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. It is up there with the best days of my life. In fact, today I have Ride London blues, feeling very similar to the day after my wedding, but without a honeymoon in Antigua to enjoy!

I was incredibly happy I hadn't ridden in the area at all prior to the event, I didn't have a clue where I was or what was forthcoming. Newlands Corner was OK, Box Hill was a joy (including joining in with a Mexican Wave with the stewards and having to get off to take a picture of the breath-taking view!) but Leith Hilll was painful. It isn't as steep as some of the hills in my usual North Kent patch, but boy, it is long! Loved the descent though! My Strava, which annoyingly told me I had done 99.8 miles, also said my highest speed was 46.5 mph, which is scary! Garmin said 100.03 and 42.5mph. Wimbledon Hill was just annoying, particularly as at that point my legs wre really startting to feel it!

So happy to have completed it an hour quicker than I thought (5 hours 25, 5 hours 15 Strava time) which has given me a lot of confidence and I'm now looking forward to joining the local club (Bigfoot in Bromley). Couldn't believe how quick it was! I'd always hoped to do the first 40 miles in 2 hours, and slow down from there, but when I'd got to 50 in 2 hours 30 I got very excited. A lull around the big hills, but the last 15 miles were my quickest, which was a surprise! Sadly it meant my wife and dad missed me altogether! Happily I caught up with them at the charity's post ride bash.

Time Of Day Time km/h
EST MILE 17 08:14:10 00:49:31 31.63
EST MILE 26 08:42:52 01:18:14 31.88
EST MILE 47 09:50:12 02:25:34 30.07
EST MILE 55 10:17:03 02:52:25 28.82
EST MILE 75 11:30:54 04:06:16 24.78
EST MILE 85 12:06:00 04:41:21 28.05
FINISH 12:50:31 05:25:53 33.82

I wasn't bothered by the groups powering through on the right. They were always pretty courteous to me and made me aware they were there.

Well done to everyone though, fabulous day and lots of fabulous people.

 

[User33236]

We got Let it go from Frozen, couldn't have been cheesier, everyone was laughing

We got that song too. Had to put up with Mrs SG singing it at the top of her voice in my left ear lol.

 

[MichaelO]

We had Madness, One step beyond. Wouldn't have been my choice!!

 

[PK99]

Depressing to look at the times some folks do compared to mine 7:03 total 6:42 rolling.

But then i look at rider ages on the results list and realise that only 2/3 % of riders are older than me

 

[AKA Bob]

@srw I did it on the road bike but wished I had been on the Brompton. Started at 7am with the Club Riders. But as I was with my other half we made steady pace and had no issues with them going past us. Our problems started on Leith Hill when a poor chap had a fatal heart attack. By the time the emergency services had done their thing and we had got over a the climb we started merging with large numbers of charity riders who had been diverted behind us and missed out on Leith Hill. The most alarming bit was descending off the back of Box Hill there is a short climb which saw the whole width of the road come to a halt as no one changed down in advance. Then it was a matter of keeping your wits about you and not trusting anyone a bit like BHF London to Brighton. I maybe doing a disservice but definately a difference between the two groups in my opinion.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Until they put in Slow/Medium/Fast lanes like the swimming baths, or cap the maximum speed limit for everyone to prove it isn't a race, this behaviour will keep on going (so, it'll keep on happening like this. :-) )

A maximum speed? There's an idea. You could also provide lashings of cake and tea at the feed stations controls, get them to provide proof of passage receipts, and note down things like pub names. Where could that end?

 

[vickster]

@AKA Bob you probably hit the same jam as us. I suggested to a girl who was walking two abreast to get into single file, she got a bit stroppy and said they were walking because everyone came to a halt. Shortly after we all got stopped due to the crash further on

That hill actually is a nasty one, it almost got me on the training run last week when my bike refused to change onto the lower cog, my legs were on fire when I absolutely managed to change down I was early into the little ring this time!

 

[sleaver]

I was told when I did the volunteer training last year the max speed at least on flats would be 25mph, presumably not that strictly enforced. Or the've ditched the pace car idea

I think they have a "lead car" to check that the route is clear and no one is allowed to pass it. That will obviously only be at the front though. Well, that's what I read last year.




While I was waiting for the pro race to finish, a woman on the spectator side came up and asked a Marshall close by where the medals were. The Marshall then told us that she had got picked by by the sweeper with 10 miles to go and had asked if she would still get a medal. I don't know if she did though.

 

[vickster]

That's probably the case. I think they did say it was at the start.

I have to say the groups of guys going the other way in Kingston looked terrifying

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Depressing to look at the times some folks do compared to mine 7:03 total 6:42 rolling.
But then i look at rider ages on the results list and realise that only 2/3 % of riders are older than me

Cool, last year the buzz on the return riverboat was about 'breaking 5 hours' and I hadn't, coming in at 5 hours 20. I felt a momentary spasm of "oh, I didn't do it" and then remembered I didn't care. I wasn't doing it to beat other people, but to have done it. The time was nice, but truly, it's about as relevant as my average speed when commuting, it's just traffic lights and junctions get replaced with bottle necks and incidents.

Congrats.

 

[vickster]

My aim too was simply to start and finish, having had to withdraw last year etc. I'm not even fussed about doing 92 not 100 (or 96.3 or whatever) especially with all the aggro and probably being swept! The cheering on the Mall was worth it Even the stabbing abdominal pains from the flipping stitch!

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I think they have a "lead car" to check that the route is clear and no one is allowed to pass it. That will obviously only be at the front though. Well, that's what I read last year.
While I was waiting for the pro race to finish, a woman on the spectator side came up and asked a Marshall close by where the medals were. The Marshall then told us that she had got picked by by the sweeper with 10 miles to go and had asked if she would still get a medal. I don't know if she did though.

Is it bad to presume she won't get one because she didn't finish?

 

[sleaver]

I know I've been involved it it, but can we stop this whole discussion on club riders v what ever you want to call the rest please?

At the end of the day you have up to 25,000 different people of all different abilities who ride at different speeds with different levels of confidence and takes on what "safe" is.

As has been mentioned, unless you put controls in, it is what it is.

Maybe lets get back to positive things as I'm sure for all of us, it was a brilliant day.

 

[vickster]

I doubt some bloke (no club jersey from what I recall) barging between two cyclists on Boxhill and hitting both sets of handlebars in the process is safe riding in anyone's book. You can't control for that, the other guys were both making quick progress on the right, it was pure impatience and lack of consideration. Probably was the same bloke whining about being held back due to a very nasty crash wwhere there was some guy lying in the middle of the road in a neck brace